


Sealskin: why you shouldn't eat strange ocean plants

by LuckyBossuet



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Established Relationship, Fluff, Inspired by Fanfiction, M/M, Magic, Selkie!Grantaire, Selkies, nightmare!Enjolras
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25587826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyBossuet/pseuds/LuckyBossuet
Summary: Grantaire has an issue with his coat
Relationships: Bahorel/Jean Prouvaire, Enjolras/Grantaire (Les Misérables), Minor or Background Relationship(s), mentioned
Comments: 8
Kudos: 51





	Sealskin: why you shouldn't eat strange ocean plants

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Nightmares: pleasant dreams, educational terrors and delightful people](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25067014) by [les Amis DCD (AlmostARealHobbit)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlmostARealHobbit/pseuds/les%20Amis%20DCD). 



> I really recommend you check it out the work this is inspired by, it's fantastic, but I don't think you'll need to read it to follow the story.
> 
> beta'd and blessing given by [ les Amis DCD](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlmostARealHobbit/pseuds/les%20Amis%20DCD)

Enjolras is used to a lot of things; he’s a mare, he’s not phased by much, not with the images he can create in people’s minds. He has to admit though, walking downstairs and seeing a seal attempting to flop up the stairs is a new one.

He stares at the creature until it notices him and lets out a cry of “D’eeeeegg!”, causing him to jump and fall onto the step behind him.

The animal seems to realise that it won’t be getting up the stairs under its own power and allows gravity to slide it back to the ground floor. Cautiously, Enjolras moves towards the seal, not wanting to startle it while being wary of the animal himself.

As he descends, however, he notices something familiar about the seal. The pattern, the colours, how the blotches look just like the ones on the coat that sometimes hangs on his door, the one that is normally kept in a box except for when a certain selkie feels the sea call him too strongly to resist.

“Grantaire?” he cautiously asks, smiling when the seal, Grantaire, perks up and barks in reply, tail slapping the floor of Enjolras’ apartment building.

“Are you okay?” Enjolras asks, kneeling close to the seal, that he now knows to be his boyfriend. He pulls back when he smells the alcohol on his breath. Sighing, he answers himself, “You’re drunk.”

Seal-R bows his head, knowing Enjolras doesn’t like how much he drinks, sometimes. He’s getting better, but it’s still an issue for him. “I take it you’re stuck?”

“Geeeagh! Mibph!” Grantaire vocalises, causing Enjolras to rub his eyes.

“Come on, we’ll see if one of the others can get you out, it can’t be good for you being drunk as a seal.”

He goes to hold one of Grantaire’s  hand flipper, but lets go when it means that Grantaire can’t move himself well —not that seals are the  _ fastest _ animal on land to begin with.

After a struggle getting Grantaire into Enjolras car, oddly enough cars aren’t designed for easy seal access, they eventually make it to Jehan’s cottage, where the door is answered by Bahorel, wearing one of Jehan’s dressing gowns, though the size difference means that “wearing” is a generous descriptor.

When Jehan comes downstairs, they take a look at Grantaire, sigh and turn the kettle on. Bahorel tries to pull the coat off, but stops quickly when it doesn’t move, the only effect being upsetting Grantaire, and subsequently Enjolras.

“Sorry, Enj, I can’t budge it,” the demon apologises. “Pumpkin, do you think one of your books has something?” he asks his lover, taking the cup offered to him.

“I’m not sure. Selkies, as a rule, don’t like to share information with others, and being a mostly sea-based species don’t tend to write in paper and ink regularly.” They run their fingers through their braid, undoing the end of it before redoing it as they think. “I can look, though. Perhaps call the others, they may have some ideas more effective than tugging.”

The witch leaves for their ‘library’, which is really more of a book hoarding pile, tutting at Russell, their crow familiar, as they go. Bahorel stays behind. Bahorel sends a mass message to the group, while Enjolras rubs Grantaire's back.

“You’ve never had this issue before,” he muses, looking at his boyfriend’s sorrowful face. “I hope you’re not hurt.”

Grantaire flops a little where he’s lying, either in agreement or apology, or something else. Enjolras genuinely can’t tell.

The others arrive in dribs and drabs, each trying to remove Grantaire’s selkie skin, but, like Bahorel, none have any luck. If he didn’t know better, Enjolras would be worried that he’d accidentally brought an actual seal into Jehan’s home, but the responses and patterns on the coat are completely Grantaire’s.

Eventually, Jehan comes back in.

“I’m afraid I didn’t find anything about forcibly removing a selkie skin—”

“Not surprising,” Combeferre points out.

“—but I did find a spell to allow a person to speak to animals, which  _ should _ work with a person in animal form.”

They kneel down near Grantaire and ask who he would like the spell cast on. He immediately barks and turns towards Enjolras.

Jehan smiles and mutters an incantation while burning some herbs around Enjolras, who looks surprised when Grantaire speaks. Not out of surprise that one of Jehan’s spells worked —magic is a very real thing and Jehan is very good at it, these things were never in question. 

What surprises him is the experience of a seal speaking to him with a human voice.

Of course, all the others hear is a series of barks and other incoherent sounds, while Enjolras hears his boyfriend’s low, hoarse voice speaking as if it were a normal situation.

“I’m really sorry, E, I don’t know what happened. I think I ate something weird while I was in the sea and I can’t concentrate long enough to change.”

Enjolras smiles at Grantaire, “It’s okay, R. As long as you’re okay, it’s fine. If it’s food it should be out of your system soon, correct?”

Seal-R nods, “I think so, I ate it last night so, yeah, soon.”

Enjolras presses a kiss to Grantaire’s slick head, and, explaining to the others, resumes rubbing Grantaire’s side. He hasn’t missed the distress in Grantaire’s voice, and physical touch seems to help; that the repetitive motion helps relax Enjolras as well is neither here nor there.

Jehan offers for everyone to stay for dinner —cooked by Jehan after a quick google for what is safe for seals, just in case—, afterwhich, it’s decided that Grantaire and Enjolras can stay. The pair sleeps on the large sofa that Bahorel once occupied, before properly moving in with Jehan. It’s only just large enough for a fully grown man to share with a fully grown seal, but Grantaire, who normally only disappears into the sea for a few days, has been away for a week and a half, so they had both been missing their bedmate, and are glad of the closeness.

* * *

Enjolras wakes up with a pair of arms wrapped around him, a naked body pressed against his back as he faces the back of the sofa. 

Remembering the previous day, he turns, carefully so as not to tip them off the furniture, and smiles when he sees that his boyfriend is no longer a seal. Grantaire snuffles in his sleep, rubbing his head on the cushions, messing up the black mess on top of his head.

Enjolras strokes Grantaire’s cheek and is rewarded with a sleepy smile as Grantaire opens his thankfully human eyes.

“Hello,” Grantaire’s voice is rough with the salt that must have gotten in while he swam.

“Hello, Dearest.” Enjolras buries his face in Grantaire’s neck, surrounding himself with the smell of brine and salt, something he’s come to love since he and Grantaire became an item.

“I’m glad to be back,” Grantaire whispers as if scared to break the silence of Jehan’s living room. “I’m sorry.”

“Just try not to eat things you aren’t sure of again, okay?” Enjolras pulls back. “I don’t want to wake up to a seal in the lobby again, I imagine I’ll be getting some strange looks when I get home.”

Grantaire laughs, a deep one that shakes his body, causing Enjolras to laugh as well. The force of it tips them off of the sofa with a thud.

They’re still laughing when Jehan comes down in concern.


End file.
